Coming Home
by Ying-Long
Summary: Returning from a training trip, Ranma finds that Akane has fallen victim to another fiancee's extreme attempts at locating him


**Coming Home**

by Ying-Long

**I do not, nor have I ever, claimed ownership of Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi. What I write is simply an extension of my admiration of her work.**

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Ranma dragged his struggling old man thought the streets of Nerima, headed for the Tendo Dojo. A bit confused by the panda's sudden interest in a prolonged training trip, Ranma had decided that something was up and announced that they were going home. NOW.

Genma's only mistake had been trying to stop him. He was now in panda form, trussed up like a Christmas chicken, growling at his son as he was dragged along. _Stupid Oyaji_, Ranma thought darkly, _how come he's gotta pick now to decide that we have to go to China?_

To be honest, the last three months hadn't been a training trip, so much as a mop-the-floor-with-the-stupid-panda trip. Genma hadn't realized how much his son's fight against Saffron had changed him. He was no longer dealing with a boy he could bully or trick into things. He was dealing with a man long past sick of his nonsense. Worse yet, he had failed to compute that if Ranma could destroy a mountain and a freakin' _God_, then Ranma had obviously surpassed him. He paid for that mistake dearly.

"I don't care what ya think we were gonna do," Ranma snapped after pressing a few points to incapacitate his struggling burden, "if ya take off again, ya know Mom's gonna kill ya an' Akane'll make ya inta a rug!"

The panda's doubtful snort caught his immediate attention and Ranma whirled on him, giving him such a look that he cowered. _This is it_, the panda thought, _my son is honestly going to murder me!_

But all Ranma did was give him a solid kick and keep moving, obviously lost in thought. And luckily, the two were willing to ignore one another's grumblings, even if only one could understand them both.

"Saotome! You vile wretch!"

Ranma casually swung a foot behind him, kind of looking like a ballerina on pirouette, and neatly nailing Kuno in the face, "hey, Kuno, what's up?"

Pulling back and clearing his throat with great dignity, Kuno struck a pose and continued, "how dare you allow such a travesty to befall the beauteous Akane! You are no man! I, Kuno Tatewaki, do hereby challenge you, to righteous comba-urk!"

"Shut the hell up," Ranma said, slowly and deliberately, this time using his new kick to force Kuno to his knees, "I ain't got time for you. Here, hold this," and he dumped the panda in the unconscious Kuno's lap before taking off across rooftops for the Dojo.

Little as he liked to admit it, Kuno's announcement worried him. So far as he knew, Mr. Tendo hadn't planned anything new. So why would the fool be out waving his precious stick around and calling Ranma a 'vile wretch', which was a new one.

The Dojo loomed practically a second after he started off and, pleased with the improvement to his speed, Ranma aimed carefully for the yard that was overlooked by the tea room. And inside, as he'd sensed miles away, Akane sat quietly at the table, picking at a bowl of rice.

For a moment, Ranma hesitated, worried by how pale she looked. Then, swallowing that fear, he walked up to the porch and cleared his throat, getting Akane's immediate attention. What he didn't expect, though, was for her to instantly dissolve into tears.

"Akane!" he gasped, panicking and hopping onto the porch, taking off his shoes in midair, "what'd I do? Akane…aw man, ya know I hate it when ya do that," he groaned, sitting beside her and miserably holding his knees to his chest.

She just cried harder, which served to further panic the pigtailed martial artist. _Just do it, baka,_ he thought sourly as he watched her out of the corner of his eye, _at least then she'll stop cryin' ta pound me._ And without further thought, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

To Ranma's amazement, Akane hesitated for only a moment before she stopped crying with a strangled gasp and clung to him, her arms around his neck to hold him firmly in place. As if he was her lifeline. As if she thought he might try to escape if she didn't.

"What took you…baka?" she whispered, her fingers practically digging into his shirt, "you said _two months at worst_."

"The panda decided that we needed to go back ta China," Ranma explained, glad that his brain was working despite the rest of him being incoherent at the feel of her in his arms, "an' it took me a month to…er…_convince_ him that it wasn't so good an idea."

Akane laughed weakly, then sighed heavily, "did you hear about what happened?"

"No," Ranma said, getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, "what happened?"

"Just…look down."

"Huh?" Ranma instinctively complied, then frowned, "what's with the cane…" and his head shot up as realization dawned, "what happened?" he asked coldly, struggling to control his temper, that burning, roiling mass of tightly wound coils within him, that had been getting stronger over the years, but especially since the insanity of the fiancées began.

Akane shrank away from him, and though he was relieved to see that she didn't look frightened, it still hurt to see the crushed look on her face, "you…" tears began to well anew and he scrambled to stop them.

"No! Nononononono!" he cried, waving a hand in emphasis, "not you! Whatever is going on, it ain't you!"

For a tense moment, Akane looked confused by his outburst, till understanding dawned and she relaxed, "it's my right leg," she explained, almost timidly, encouraged by how he was leaning towards her, hanging on every word, "it can barely support any weight, let alone mine. Dr. Tofu said that he doesn't know how to fix it."

"How'd it happen?" Ranma asked quietly, reining in hard on his rising temper.

She winced, "because you only told me that you were going, your fiancées went looking for you. But after the first month, they stopped believing me when I told them that you were training somewhere and that I didn't know where."

"Yeah…"

Tears welled, threatening to fall as Akane continued, "Cologne decided to get me to spill another way," she closed her eyes now and shuddered as she continued, "first drugs. A potion that made me answer any question she asked. But after the first question, I fought it. So she used a pressure point…here," eyes still closed, she indicated just to the left of the windpipe, not seeing her fiancé pale, "I still didn't tell her anything but…I could barely drag myself home."

Ranma sat before her, shaking as his fury sought release, his battle aura billowing out to swamp the room plus half the yard. _Does that old ghoul have ANY idea how close she came ta killin' Akane! Or did she even care?_ Ranma knew about pressure points, actually better than the old ghoul. The pressure point Akane mentioned was one shunned by all honorable warriors, because of its great potential to cause paralysis or, if the pressure wasn't exact enough, it could also cause death.

"Where are they?"

"They're still at the Nekohanten," Akane whispered, her hands fisting in her lap, her eyes tightly shut.

"Did anyone apologize?"

Biting her lip, Akane mutely shook her head, still unaware of the growing battle aura before her. Nabiki, however, was not so unaware as she walked in on it.

"Dammit, Akane!" she cried, waving a hand around to dispel the rampant heat her sister was shielded from, "what'd you tell him!"

Akane's eyes snapped open at her sister's words, widening as she laid eyes on the murderous expression on her fiancé's face. Leaning forward, she grabbed Ranma's face, startling him out of his rage.

"His dad didn't tell him," Akane said at last, sitting back again once Ranma appeared to have calmed.

"I'm not surprised," sipping at her tea, Nabiki plopped down across from them, "seeing as how he heard the story and promptly labeled my sister 'damaged goods'."

Ranma tensed, his previous battle aura nothing by comparison. This one stretched for a full city block, almost setting the shoji on fire. He was fighting his rage so hard that he was shaking, his blue eyes wide and glowing blue, glittering with withheld malice. Nabiki actually felt his rage eating at her, choking off her air and she was very grateful when Akane grabbed him again, shaking him as she called to him.

_My sister couldn't be in better hands_, Nabiki decided, watching the two from a safer distance, _he looks like he wants to kill someone barehanded, yet he has enough control to keep Akane from even feeling warm!_

"Ranma! Snap out of it! Come on, baka, this isn't like you!" Akane was saying.

Nabiki, watching the two keenly for a moment, suddenly grinned, "hey! Help me!" she said, grabbing a towel and using it to shield her hands as she grabbed him around the shoulders.

"Nabiki! What are you doing?" Akane demanded as she picked up his feet, surprised when he didn't respond to even that.

"I think we'll stash him in your room till he's feeling less…homicidal," Nabiki finished, "it might even give you the chance to show him your new outfit."

"What new outfit-NABIKI!" Akane cried, nearly dropping Ranma as she turned bright red, "GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!"

Ranma stirred a bit at her yell, but was still too deep in anger to really follow what was going on, until the door was closed, Nabiki was yelling something about them being alone, and Akane let out a final growl of frustration that was enough to make any martial artist quake in his shoes.


End file.
